Kyocera Precision Tools opens in Hendersonville

The grand opening of Kyocera Precision Tools Inc. on Wednesday established Hendersonville as the new cutting tool and micro-tool company's North American headquarters.

By Molly McGowanTimes-News Staff Writer

The grand opening of Kyocera Precision Tools Inc. on Wednesday established Hendersonville as the new cutting tool and micro-tool company's North American headquarters.Created April 1, the new subsidiary of Kyocera Corp. now carries the micro-tool and printed circuit board cutting tool products previously supplied under the name Kyocera Tycom Corp. and the “indexable” cutting tool products, previously supplied by the Cutting Tool Division of Kyocera Industrial Ceramics Corporation. The new venture unites sales and support teams from the former Kyocera Tycom Corp. and Cutting Tools Division of KICC, and expands its product range to include cutting tool products for the automotive, medical, aerospace, power generation, printed circuit board, steel and general machining industries.“The hub for that cutting tools division will be headquartered here in Hendersonville,” in the building that previously housed the Cutting Tool Division of KICC, said Andrew Tate, president and CEO of the Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development. The HCPED and local officials, including Board of Commissioners Chairman Charlie Messer and Hendersonville Mayor Pro Tem Ron Stephens, were in attendance Wednesday to celebrate KPTI's grand opening.Mark Gardiner, KPTI marketing and sales support manager, said former Cutting Tool Division employees were absorbed into the new subsidiary, adding that the new company employs about 100 people locally and 300 nationwide.In addition to its Hendersonville headquarters, KPTI North American operations include a steel tool holder manufacturing location in Wapakoneta, Ohio, and an administration and manufacturing location in Costa Mesa, Calif. Gardiner said Kyocera has had a presence in Hendersonville's Mountain Home Industrial Park since 1977 — but few local residents seem to know the company's there. “I think there's a real lack of knowledge of who they are or what they do,” said Tate. Perhaps that's because when driving past the industrial park, the former Kyocera Industrial Ceramics building at 102 Industrial Park Road isn't immediately visible, said Tate.Tate and Gardiner hope the new merger brings exposure to the local arm of the multinational corporation, which KPTI President Koichi Nosaka said is gaining global recognition Initially positioned to serve North America and Central America, KPTI products are beginning to be exported to Europe due to the specialized market, Nosaka said Wednesday.“Some of the products (manufactured) here and in California, no others are producing,” he said. “KPTI is positioned to achieve rapid growth.”Locally, Gardiner said additional job openings won't be immediate, but are a future possibility.“Absolutely down the road, we're looking to expand locally,” he said.Reach McGowan at molly.mcgowan@blueridgenow.com or 828-694-7871.